Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-09-09
BLUE LAWS.
The Code Of the General Court of Connec-
ticast Of 1860.


The Code Of the General Court of Conmec-
tic,st Of 1850.
A curiously interesting little volume,
now the property of q citizen of De-
troit, is entitled "The Code of 1850, {"
being, in more familiar words, codif-
cation of the Connecticut Blue Laws.
1t was copyrighted and published by
Silas Andrus, of Hartford, in 1880.
The publisher in his preface naively
says: ITO this Code may be traced the
origin of almost all our civil and relig-
ious institutions. Our ancestors have
thus, in q great measure, transmitted
to their posterity their present customs,
manners, and civil and religious opin-
ions. The laws were few and simple,
yet they were such as the exigencies of
the commonwealth required, and such
as may be supposed to exist in the in
fancy of civil governments.
The solitary illustration in this re-
markable work is the frontispiece,
which is entitled "The Constable Seiz-
ing a Tobacko Taker." In the fore
ground are two fgures-the constable's
and the chewer's The constable has
seized the malefactor by the shoulder.
A goose flies in alarm over the fence
and the wife, five children, and dog of
the officer looks on in absorbed con-
Germ. One boy yells, "Mam, Dad has
catched man chewing tobaclo!" and
the mother grimly responds that he
will now have his deserts.
Under the sub-head of Capital
Lawes" appear the following:
If any man after legal conviction
shall have or worship any other God
but the Lord God hee shall be put to
death.
If any person shall blaspheme the
name of God the father, Some, or
Holy Ghost with direct, presumptuous,
or high-handed blasphemy, or shall
curse in the like manner, he shall he
put to death.
If any childe or children above 16
years old, and of sufficient understand
ing, shall curse or smite their NATURAL
father or mother hee or they shall bee
put to death; unless it can bee sufi-
GENTLY testified that the parents have
been very unchristianly negligent in
the education of such children, or SO
provoke them by extreme and cruel
correction, that they have been forced
thereunto to preserve themselves from
death, manning.
If any man have q stubborne and re.
bellious some, 16 years of age, who
will not obey the voice of his father o,
the voice of his mother, then may they
lay hold on him, and bring him to the
magistrates assembled in courte and
testife unto them that THERE some il
stubborne and rebellious and will not
obey THERE voice and chastisement, but
lives in sundry notorious crimes, such 8
some shall be put to death.
One enactment provides that an,
Christian who bears himself TOWARD
the preacher or the word shall for the
first offense "bee converted and re-
proved openly by the magistrates al
some lecture and bound to their good
behavior. And if a second time the,
breake forth into the like contemptuous
carriages they shall either pay e5 te
the publique treasure, or stand two
houres openly upon block or stoole
foure foott high, upon lecture day
with paper fixed on his breast writer
with capital letters AN OPEN AND OBJ
sT1NATE coNrEMNER OF GODS HOLY
ORDINANCES, that others may feare and
bee ashamed Of breaking out in the like
wickedness.
Likewise it is provided that any per
son who will freely absent himself from
meeting on the Lords day, public fast
days and other such church occasions
shall forfeit five shillings.
Here is particularly entertaining
section:
No person, householder or other, shall spend
his time ide]y or unproftably under paine Of
such punishment as the courte shall thinke
meete to intlict, and for this end it is ordered
that the constable of every place shall use
special care and diligence to take knowledge
of offenders in this kinde; especially of com.
mon coasters, Improbable fowlers, ant
tobacko takers, and present the same to any
magistrate, who shall have power to heare ani
determine the case OF transfer it to the mex
courte.
Lying, of any sort which is "perni
cious to the publique veal" was pun
ishable by fine of ten shillings for the
first offense, or term in the stocks not
exceeding three hours. For the second
offense the fine was double and the Of
fender whipped. Profane swearers
were adjudged to pay ten shillings TO,
every Severe ohense." In case Of
failure to pay, then the stocks held
them for q time not exceeding three
hours.
The tobacco prohibition is in words
following: "No man within this colonye
shall take any tobacko, publiquely in
the street,, highwayes or any barne.
yardes. or upon training dawes, in any